stingy landlady

Chapter 63 Building a House (3)

Guizhi continued:

"Look! We won't mention profit sharing to you, nor will we care who you sell to, how many you sell to, or whether you keep it for the sake of the construction team's reputation! We won't interfere with any of that!"

“We can sign a contract, and apart from what we need to build our own houses in the future, we'll sell it to you at a price! Why don't you name a price?”

"Or would you rather go to the county seat or the prefectural seat and talk to the big contractors there before you come back?"

Guizhi glanced at Dazhu, and Dazhu spoke:

"Brother Liu! This is no small sum, you should think about it again!"

Foreman Liu, seizing the opportunity, said:

"Master! Third Miss! I need to think about it!"

After speaking, he lowered his head, pretending to be deep in thought, and fell silent. Dazhu and Guizhi didn't urge him either, continuing their conversation.

"Dad! I see Pan Sen and Pan Qiang have already put up trellises for the cucumbers and green beans! I guess they'll start flowering in a few days, right?"

"You! In such a hurry to eat? It's still a long way off! It'll take at least ten days, but once it blooms, you'll see fruit. It'll probably be ready to eat in another month or so! That'll be quick!"

"Hehe! It's not that I want to eat it! It's just that Manager Qu is in a hurry. He's waiting for the new dishes to be served!"

"And that young master Zheng, I told him we planted early cucumbers and green beans. He's been nagging us about when they'll bear fruit so he can come and see them! He said he and young master Liu have to be the first to eat them! Haha! It's hilarious!"

"You little rascal! You've whetted their appetites! I'm afraid you won't be able to bear eating it all yourself!" Dazhu patted Guizhi affectionately.

"Dad! We have meat to eat! We have vegetables to eat! As long as we're full, that's fine! We'll save what we can to sell for money! Besides, it's not like we won't have enough to eat, we'll just eat it later!"

"Hey? Dad! I see the duck feathers are near its tail, it's time to kill it and eat it!"

"Aren't you going to keep them for laying eggs? Didn't you want to incubate them and hatch ducklings?"

"Dad! Kill two male ducks tomorrow! Let my grandpa come over to our house for a meal. Let Grandpa Zhou and the others have one too, there are many of them, but they can all have a taste!"

Keep only one male duck! The others don't need to be kept; they still need to be fed. Ducks eat a lot and very quickly!

"Alright! I'll do whatever you say!"

The foreman, Liu, chuckled to himself, "This boss really spoils his daughter!"

He appeared to be deep in thought, but he was actually secretly listening to Dazhu and the other man's conversation.

"Cough cough!"

Foreman Liu deliberately coughed twice to attract the attention of Dazhu and Guizhi.

"Master, Third Miss! You two have such a good relationship!"

Guizhi said proudly, "Of course! My father is the best to us sisters!"

Dazhu also smiled and said:

"They're all my children, what parent wouldn't love them dearly? Besides, my girls are all very sensible!"

"Yeah yeah!"

Foreman Liu then said in a serious tone:

"Master! Third Miss! I've thought it over carefully. I'll give you three hundred taels of silver, plus a free clean room! What do you think? This is the highest price I can offer!"

After saying that, he even slapped his own face. Well, he'd slurred it off! Foreman Liu had originally planned to start with two hundred taels and then gradually increase the price.

Guizhi turned her head and laughed, but quickly suppressed it again.

"Uncle Liu! One washroom isn't enough! The servants need two more. But it doesn't have to be that complicated, just build two separate outhouses for men and women!"

Foreman Liu rubbed his face, feigning surprise, and said:

"Third Miss! You scared me to death! I thought you were going to build two identical ones! Two thatched huts are no big deal! Build them far away, and I won't charge you! I'll build them for free!"

He then asked, "Master! Third Miss! Shall we sign the contract?"

Dazhu nodded: "Sign it!"

Guizhi said, "I'll call Grandpa Zhou to write the contract!"

Foreman Liu raised his head and smiled, "Boss! Third Miss! I may not be very capable, but this contract can be written!"

Dazhu quickly said:

"So you're a gentleman! My apologies for not recognizing you!"

"I don't deserve it! I only had a few years of schooling!"

"But the money won't be here until tomorrow! I'll bring the written contract with me tomorrow, and we can sign it together then, okay?"

Dazhu nodded and replied, "Okay, okay! We'll sign it tomorrow!"

Foreman Liu handed the blueprints to Guizhi again and said solemnly:

"Third Miss! Please keep these blueprints safe! You can give them to me after the contract is signed tomorrow!"

Guizhi took it and said:

"Uncle Liu! Don't forget to write it down when you build your house, so we can use it when we build another one!"

Foreman Liu said:

"Actually, we're just getting an early advantage! We can only gain an edge in the first few years. After a few years, more people will know about it, and since they're all in this business, they'll figure it out themselves!"

Guizhi innocently asked:

"Uncle Liu! It's just like when we grow vegetables! If we plant them ten or fifteen days in advance, the price difference is huge! At first, they sold for twenty coins a pound, but now they're only one coin a bunch in the village! But in the county town, the price is different!"

After listening, Foreman Liu lowered his head in thought, then, having understood, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture of respect.

"Thank you, Master! Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Miss! Things are valued for their rarity, aren't they, Miss?"

Guizhi laughed, "Uncle Liu! Making money is the most important thing! Haha!"

The next afternoon, as promised, foreman Liu arrived at Dazhu's house in a horse-drawn carriage.

Li and Xu were chatting while doing needlework. Seeing guests arrive, Xu busied herself tidying up as she said:

"Sister-in-law! We have guests! I have to go now!"

Li quickly put on her shoes and got out of bed, not forgetting to call out to Guixiang:

"Guixiang, clean up the kang (heated brick bed)! We have guests!"

He then hurried to see Madam Xu off, saying, "We have guests today, please come back another day!"

Li was a little reserved, as her family rarely entertained guests. However, she still warmly invited Liu, the foreman, to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed).

She went to the outer room to boil water to serve the guests.

Gui Xiang tidied up the things on the kang (a heated brick bed). She gestured for Siya to be quiet. Guests rarely came to the house, and Siya, with wide eyes, curiously looked them up and down.

Gui Xiang quietly put on her shoes and got out of bed, preparing to help Li Shi start the fire.

Dazhu called out to her, "Guixiang! This is your Uncle Liu! Go to the east end and call Guizhi back! Tell him your Uncle Liu has arrived!"

Gui Xiang greeted softly, "Hello, Uncle Liu! Please sit down, Uncle Liu! Dad! I'll go call Gui Zhi!"

"Okay! Go ahead! She said she wants to eat duck today, and she wants your Grandpa Zhou to kill a duck for her and help your Aunt Zhou pluck its feathers!"

He then said to Foreman Liu, "Let's eat here tonight! We've just slaughtered a duck today, so it's perfect for a delicious meal! It's from our own farm, and it's the first time we've ever had duck meat!"

Foreman Liu refused, saying, "No, boss! I've taken the blueprints and am going to discuss them with the craftsmen again! I'll redraw them! I plan to go to the prefectural city tomorrow! My family is there! I'll go back and visit them first! We can have a drink and chat another day, boss!"